Oh yeah! Your family will spring out of bed when they get a hint of this baking in the oven.
This recipe is actually a spin-off of one of our favorite desserts – Hot Apple Crisp. I thought, how yummy would it be to put those baked cinnamony apples right on top of some creamy soaked gluten-free oatmeal! Be sure to drizzle on some of the delicious apple-caramel sauce from the bottom of the baking dish! Mmm!
P.S. This is just one delicious way we like to spice up our morning oatmeal. For more ideas, check out my special recipe section devoted to Wholesome Oatmeal Recipes & Breakfast Porridges. Enjoy!
How to Soak Oats for Delicious, Nutritious Oatmeal:
Step One: Soak your gluten-free oats overnight, following the recipe instructions below. If you’re new to “soaking,” please check out the note “How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition.”
If you’re gluten-free and can tolerate oats, I recommend using certified GF rolled oats and combining them with ground buckwheat groats for your soak, as outlined in the recipe notes below.
Step Two: Tired of sour-tasting soaked oatmeal? Gently rinsing soaked oats not only helps them to be less “pasty” in texture, but also helps to reduce any sour flavor that may develop as a result of the soaking process. In fact, by using apple cider vinegar instead of a dairy acid medium (such as kefir or yogurt) and by making sure to gently rinse your soaked oats, your family will be able to enjoy completely “sour-free” soaked oatmeal!
Step Three: Cook the oats to your desired consistency and ENJOY – so simple and SO delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups organic GF Rolled Oats
(not quick-cook)
- 2 tbsp ground buckwheat groats
(*see note below)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or fresh-squeezed lemon juice)
- Pinch of Celtic sea salt
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups filtered water
- Pure maple syrup or raw honey to taste
Instructions
- Place above ingredients into a ceramic (or glass) mixing bowl or jar.
- Add enough warm filtered water to completely cover the mixture by an inch or two. Mix well to combine.
- Cover and place it in a warm area of your kitchen for 12-24 hours.
- Once soaking time is completed, drain oats in a fine-mesh strainer and thoroughly rinse.
- Add drained oats to a medium saucepan. Add water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently and continue to simmer, until oatmeal is cooked to desired consistency (about 3-4 minutes).
- Sweeten to taste with raw honey.
- Divide oatmeal into bowls and top with a large scoop of baked apples (see recipe below) and a splash of unsweetened almond milk (or raw whole milk).
- Be sure to drizzle with the caramel-apple sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. Mmm!!
Notes
*If you’re gluten-free and can tolerate oats, I recommend using certified GF Rolled Oats
If you are not gluten-free, you can substitute the buckwheat groats with rolled rye flakes, rye flour or spelt flour for your soak.
Ingredients
- 5 medium organic apples, cored and sliced about 1/4"
- 1/3 cup pure unfiltered organic apple juice
- 2 tbsp pure organic maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, add apple juice, maple syrup, cinnamon,vanilla and arrowroot powder; whisk well to combine.
- Add apple slices and toss well to thoroughly coat.
- Place the apple mixture (including liquid) in a 2.5 to 3 quart baking dish.
- Cover and bake the apples for 25-30 minutes, until apples reach desired softness. While apples are baking, cook the oatmeal (see recipe above).
- Divide oatmeal into bowls and top with a large scoop of baked apples and a splash of unsweetened almond milk (or raw whole milk).
- Be sure to drizzle with the caramel-apple sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. Mmm!!
I know this is an old post, but I just wanted to tell you that this is a fabulous recipe. We are just starting to eat better (eat real food) as a family after 20 years of eating.. well junk. And honestly I don’t really like oatmeal, though I fix it often for my husband. I decided to make this recipe and we had it today. It was soooo good! Thank you so much!
Wonderful, Jules! Thanks for taking the time to comment. This is my hubby’s favorite oatmeal recipe too! So glad you both enjoyed it! 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
I am totally new to soaking grains and was wondering if steel cut oats work in any of your oatmeal recipes and would the soaking procedure be the same? I don’t love the texture or consistency of rolled oats but enjoy steel cut oats. I have spent the past week looking for a real food meal plan I could work with for my family and I think I can make yours work (the rest of my family eats meat, I don’t…I haven’t for MANY years and just can’t bring myself to do it, despite all of the research I have done on real food). I have spent the past 2 hours looking at your site and reading. thanks!
Hi, Tanya. Yes, you can follow the same steps for soaking steel cut oats. And as far as eating meats, take your time. I was a vegetarian for 14 years before I started down the real food path – so I can relate. I started with bone broth and fish based recipes. Then I started with soups with some shredded chicken (from my chicken stock making) added. From there, it became easier to enjoy chicken based recipes. But I still have a hard time with beef and only eat it on occasion, which is why you don’t see a whole lot of beef recipes here. I know grassfed beef is so good for you, but again, it’s just not something I enjoy – taste/texture issues. So everyone is different and that’s fine. It’s all about just doing the best you can with the resources God provides. I truly believe baby steps are the best approach. It takes time for your body to adjust to a new way of eating – rather than overwhelm it, start slow. It’s also less stressful mentally as well – learning a completely new diet takes time. So just keep moving forward one step at a time. It’s small steps forward that lead to healthy changes that last a lifetime! Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
Thanks so much for the response. I do eat fish occasionally and would like to start eating it more often. My family LOVES roasted chicken and I was just talking to my husband about making bone broth with it (which I will eat in soups from time to time). I will try making my own bone broth. I will rarely try a piece of meat and I don’t dislike it, it is just hard to eat more than a small bite. I haven’t eaten beef or pork for almost 20 years and haven’t eaten chicken for almost 14 years (and I am not quite 32, so most of my life). I am making your granola recipe right now (soaking) and very excited to try it. I also made your egg and avacodo salad for lunch today and we really liked it (and I don’t really like eggs). Our daughter LOVED it too (she is 1 1/2). Our son wasn’t crazy about it, but he usually hates eggs, so the fact that I got him to take 3 bites was awesome!
That’s so great to hear, Tanya! Sounds like you’re doing a great job in helping your family try new things! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just keeping taking small steps forward! And thanks again for your kind words! Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
Can you purchase arrowroot at a regular grocery store? Are there any substitutions for it that you might suggest? Thank you!
Hi, Taunie. Yes, you can generally find arrowroot at most markets. However, you could simply omit it. It’s used to slightly thicken the sauce the apples are baked in, or if you’re not grain-free, you could substitute with some organic corn starch. Hope this helps! Many blessings, Kelly 🙂
Hello! I have been making porridge for quite a while and a friend recommended your website. My question for this recipe is can I soak oatmeal overnight in milk instead of water? Will that alter the health effects? On another note, I find this real food adventure full of lots of different advice, and always more to do. I really appreciate what you wrote on another page “Of what value is it to achieve the best health imaginable at the expense of ultimately being eternally separated from the Lord and Creator? So good to know Who holds my health and my future. Thanks so much!
Hi, Jennifer. Welcome to The Nourishing Home. I am always honored when a friend refers new reader-friends my way. So please thank your sweet friend for me. 🙂 With regard to your question, you could soak in raw milk overnight, but I wouldn’t recommend soaking in pasteurized milk overnight as it may become rancid. Another option is soaking in pure coconut milk. Either way, be sure to add an acid medium as described. For more information about soaking, you may want to read this post “How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition” it is an overview of the white paper from WAPF. Hope this helps. And welcome again! Blessings, Kelly
http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/how-to-soak-grains-for-optimal-nutrition/